Waterford officer injured in 2012 accident returning to work in October

Waterford Township Police Officer Annette Miller with her K9 dog Tongo, outside of the township's police station. Miller is on the mend after a horrific traffic accident while chasing a high speed motorcyle on Elizabeth Lake Road on May 23, 2012. Thursday, June 27, 2013. The Oakland Press/TIM THOMPSON

(The Oakland Press/TIM THOMPSON) Waterford Township Police Officer Annette Miller with her K9 dog Tondo on Thursday outside of the township's police station. Miller is on the mend after a horrific traffic accident while chasing a high speed motorcycle on Elizabeth Lake Road on May 23, 2012.

Annette Miller said when she goes into the hospital now, many staff will say to her, "Oh, I remember you."

Miller -- the Waterford Township K9 police officer who was in an horrific accident May 23, 2012 -- has endured 12 surgeries and will face two more before returning to work in October.

"She is getting close to coming back to work," said Waterford Police Chief Daniel McCaw, who said many have prayed for her recovery.

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"We're excited about that because she is part of our Waterford family."

Miller, 52, isn't worried about the next hospital visits.

"I know I survived for a reason," she said. "This is just a surgery. If I survived that accident, I'm not going to (die) during a surgery."

Miller was pursuing a speeding motorcyclist when she crashed into a car that turned in front of her on Elizabeth Lake Road.

Oakland County court records show Brian Essian, 22 -- the accused motorcyclist -- is awaiting a pretrial date in Oakland County Circuit Court before Judge Denise Langford Morris. He is accused of fleeing and eluding, third degree, a five-year felony offense.

"He's OK," said Amir Makled, Essian's attorney, who said Essian was not injured.

"For the most part he is a very responsible rider."

Miller said she was in her patrol vehicle in the old Summit Place Mall parking lot waiting to train her K9 with Sheriff's K9s when she heard an Oakland County Sheriff's deputy was pursuing the motorcyclist in Pontiac and lost sight of him.

"I saw him (the motorcyclist) cross the border coming from Pontiac into Waterford on Elizabeth Lake Road," said Miller. She started to follow.

"I was just trying to catch up to him," she said. "I was never actively pursuing to turn on my lights and siren."

Surveillance video from businesses along the route showed the pursuit, she said.

Police said Miller was traveling on westbound Elizabeth Lake Road north of Huron Road at 3:05 p.m. when a driver in a blue 1999 Volkswagen turned in front of her.

A witness, Henry Carr, who was mowing his lawn estimated the motorcyclist was traveling at 100 mph.

Carr said Miller came down the hill on Elizabeth Lake Road toward Huron and "nailed the Volkwagen." That driver survived.

Miller had to be extricated from her police SUV by Waterford Fire Department crews.

The force from the accident shattered her pelvis, damaged her knees, created deep cuts on her arm and caused several internal injuries, she said. She also had ligament damage.

Miller was listed in critical condition after the accident. At Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, she said, she received nine units of blood.

During the time after the accident, Waterford residents were concerned about her well-being. A candlelight vigil was held at her hospital, Beaumont on May 31, 2012.

Miller was confined to a wheelchair until Labor Day weekend 2012. She then was on crutches while having both knees reconstructed.

She had gall bladder surgery. Being hobbled by the knee surgeries and required to use crutches twice was very hard, she said.

"I still have hardware holding the pelvis together," she said. "It affects the way I walk. My ultimate goal is to run again."

K-9 is fine

Tondo, Miller's German shepherd K9 since June, 2010, was protected in a reinforced kennel inside the police SUV, but he did lose a toe as a result of the accident.

When Miller was released from the hospital in July 2012, her K9 Tondo was returned to her.

"When he first came home, he didn't want anything to do with me," said Miller.

She explained the dog had had a new routine with another K9 trainer during Miller's time away.

After a couple hours, the dog came around. "He recognized me and realized he was back home," she said.

Post-accident commenters

The accident generated discussion about police and pursuits with some commenters saying Miller should have alerted other drivers by switching on her vehicle's lights and sirens.

Waterford Police Chief Daniel McCaw said at the time Miller's lights and siren not being activated was "typical for police officers."

"If they observe a violation, lots of times they'll catch up to the vehicle and when they get behind the vehicle, they'll go ahead and activate the lights and siren," he said.

McCaw said that Miller was not yet in pursuit mode when she was traveling along Elizabeth Lake Road. "She was trying to catch up to the (motorcyclist)," he said.

Essian of Commerce Township turned himself in the day after the accident and was interviewed at length, police said.

He was released and eventually charged in early 2013.

Police said they had to gather evidence from video and also wait for Miller to be well enough to provide information for the investigation.

The warrant issued states Essian is accused of being the "driver of a motor vehicle to whom was given a visual or audible signal by hand, voice, emergency light or siren by (Oakland County Sheriff's) Deputy C. Cadotte, a police officer in full uniform and the officer's vehicle was identified as an official police vehicle, directing the defendant to bring his motor vehicle to a stop, did willfully fail to obey that direction by attempting to flee or elude the officer in area where speed limit was 35 mph or less."

Essian's attorney said the case has taken awhile because of attorney scheduling conflicts.

Genuine concern

Miller and Tondo attended the Waterford Police Department's open house June 22.

"People were coming by and taking pictures," said Miller.

"It was such a good turnout." McCaw said about 800 people came through.

Last July, Miller attended a blood drive at Waterford Township hall in her honor.

Miller has been at her White Lake home, glad this summer to get back to gardening.

"I missed the entire planting season last year," she said. "I love to do flowers, annuals and a vegetable garden. This year I got at it as soon as possible."

She said she was struck by the response -- the "genuine concern," she said -- she felt from people after the accident.

"In police work we see the people violating the laws, but there are so many we don't see and we forget the goodness of people," Miller said.

The accident and its aftermath "reminded me of it and I'm grateful for it. Every day I thank God for them," she said.

Contact Carol Hopkins at 248-745-4645 or carol.hopkins@oakpress.com. You can also find her on Twitter @waterfordreport or on Facebook @OPcarolhopkins.